In contemporary society, portable computers are widely used in business, education, and other fields of endeavor.
By using a portable, or laptop, computer, a businessman can carry a large amount of the information needed for his business activities, all in one piece of apparatus. It is almost like carrying his office with him during his business travels. [For convenience and clarity, terminology in the masculine gender is employed herein, even though the feminine gender could be fully appropriate in many such references.] When a businessman travels by air, he typically must make a choice of items to carry into the cabin of an airplane. Air travel restrictions limit the traveler to one small suitcase and one piece of personal baggage. How and where does a traveler carry his portable computer? Most travelers are unwilling to risk loss or damage to their computers by carrying the computer in checked baggage. Similarly, most travelers are unwilling to carry their computers in their small carry-on suitcases, where such articles as an extra pair of shoes or various articles of personal grooming equipment might be pounded against the computer. The only other option is to carry his computer in a dedicated computer storage case, as the traveler's personal baggage. The latter option is effective, except that it precludes the traveler from carrying a briefcase, which might be desirable for transporting papers and documents. For a female traveler, the situation is worse, for her personal bag must serve as her purse.
There are numerous types of commercially available dedicated protective cases for portable computers. Examples of such protective cases may be seen on the shelves of computer stores, office supplies stores, and the like. A few examples of disclosures regarding protective cases may be found in the following U.S. U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,338 (Held), U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,217,119 and 5,524,754 (Hollingsworth), U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,678,666 and 5,762,170 (Shyr), U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,770 (Chuang), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,148 (Jackson). There are many other similar disclosures. What is common to such disclosures is that each such protective case is presumed to be what a traveler would carry onto an airplane as a piece of personal baggage. Whatever else a traveler would carry onto a plane would be placed inside such a case. The disclosures by Shyr (U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,170) and Chuang are specifically directed toward this design concept.
King (U.S. Pat. No. 6,655,528) describes a dedicated computer carrying case that protects a computer by preventing shock imposed on the carrying case from reaching the computer.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,434, Howard, Jr. discloses a type of protective case specifically intended to remain in place around a portable computer while the computer is in use. In spite of the small size of this case, the disclosure of carrying straps indicates that it is intended as a piece of luggage.
Miller et al (published U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 2003/0132127) describe an elastic sleeve that is slipped over a portable computer, so that blocks of foam material may be secured thereto. While their invention suggests the possibility of protecting a computer that is carried within another piece of luggage, it also appears to be cumbersome to use.
Students, particularly college students, often need computers to support their course of study. An engineering student may need to calculate stresses in a structural member. An art student may need to use a computer in creating a drawing. Any student may need to connect to a college-wide network to download E-mail, assignments, notes, and the like. As many students choose to carry their books, computers and the like, in a backpack or knapsack, the computer must compete with those textbooks for space in the backpack. Also, such backpacks are often victims of rough handling by their owners, and the backpack offers no means for protecting the computer against damage, in the event that the backpack crashes to the floor, or if the books should be pounded against the computer.
A lightweight protective sleeve, as described herein below, offers protection for a portable computer whenever it might be carried, along with other objects, inside a larger piece of luggage. Further, it can maintain storage space for the computer inside the larger piece of luggage while the computer is temporarily removed for use.